Variable-feed mechanism



Nov. 6, 1928.

A. NOVlCK VARIABLE FEED MECHANISM Original Filed April 1, 1921 lnvenior: flbraham JYbvick flitorney.

Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,691,026 PATENT OFFICE.

VARIABLE-FEED MECHANISM.

Application filed April 1, 1921, Serial No. 457,734. Renewed August 18, 1925.

This invention relates to variable feed mechanisms and has for its object to provide means simple in construction and accurate in operation for feeding sheet material to, for

instance, cutting mechanism which is adapted for severing such sheet material into blanks. My improvements are particularly directed to means for adjusting the mechanism from time to time for varying the lengths of the blanks within predetermined limits.

With these ends in view my improvements comprise features illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the drawings accompanying this specification, wherein Figure 1 is an end view of so much of a web advancin and severing lustrate the features of my improvements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation corresponding with the showing of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of arrow 2 in that figure, members 4, 12 being omitted to more clearly show the remaining parts. Fig. 3 is aview similar to that of Fig. 1 showing the parts in different relative positions. he scale of all the figures is the same.

A web of paper or the like 3 is led forwardly under guide roll 4 onto the periphery of cylinder 5 and is gripped thereto by gripper 6 of known character. Said web, near its leading end, is tucked into the control of said gripper by blade 7 rotatably mounted on shaft 8 which is driven in proper time with cylinder 5 by the engagement of its gear, shown by dot and dash pitch line 9, with gear 10 fixed to shaft 11 of c linder 5. As is common in mechanism of this general character, cylinder 5 is provided with two peripheral beds so that at each revolution of said cylinder two blanks are cut from web 3 andsuccessively delivered to cylinder 12 whereon the blanks are gripped one at a time by clip 13. Each of the beds of cylinder 5 comprises fixed portion 14 secured to shaft 11 by arms as 16 and portion 15, which by means of arms as 17, is freely mounted on said shaft, and whereby said portion 15 may oscillate about the axis of shaft. 11 relatively to fixed portion 14.

For governing said oscillation, portion 15 is pivotally) connected by link 18 to oscillating arm 19 y stud 20. Said arm 19 is pivoted near its midlength at portion 14 of bed 5 and that end thereof opposite the point of connection with link 18 carries roll 21 for engagement with cam 22 fixed 25 to arm 16 of fixed b to side frame 23. Stud 20, which secures one end of link 18 to arm 19, is adjustable in slot 24 of arm 19, from a oint axially coincident with stud 25 on whic said arm swings to a point of greatest throw at the outer end of said slot. Roll tion 14 thereof for coaction with knife 28 carried by shaft 29, which shaft has gear 30' fixed thereto in engagement with gear 10 on shaft 11.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: As shown in Fig. 1, link 18 is, for

g purposes of illustration, shown pivoted to arm mechanism as will suffice to il- 19 at its point of maximum-throw,-whereby portion 3 of web 3 which has been previously gripped near its leading end to cylinder portion 15, presents its shortest possible length to cutting blades 27, 28. After said cutters have severed the web, roll 21 begins to climb the high part of cam 22 and when cylinder 5 in its rotation reaches the position of Fig. 3,

portion 15twil1 be restored to normal timing with the other elements of the mechanism and the leading end of the blank will be delivered to clip 13 on cylinder 12. Such normal timing will be maintained has again been gripped as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1 and until been severed as shown in the operation of advancing bed portion 15 will be repeated as already described. By shifting stud 20 toward axis 25 of arm 19 longer lengths of blanks will be severed from the web, and if said stud 20 is moved in so far as to coincide axially with axis 25 a maximum length of blank will be cut off. It will be observed that, in Fig. 3 stud 20 and axis 31, where link 18 is pivoted to bed portion 15, whereby any shifting of stud 20 in slot 24 of arm 19, to vary the periodic advancement of portion 15 relatively to portion 14 will in no way affect the timing of delivery of the leading end of the blank to cylinder 12. claim:

1. Variable feed mechanism including in combination a rotatable cylinder having a fixed peripheral bed portion and a eripheral ed portion movable concentrical y toward and from said fixed portion, means for moving said movable portion concentricall at predetermined. times and a predetermined until after web 3 a 25 are equidistant from stud the web has again that figure. Then amount, and means for regulating the amount of said movement Without changing the timing thereof.

2. Variable feed mechanism including in combination a rotatable cylinder having a fixed peripheral bed portion and a peripheral bed portion movable concentrically toward and from said fixed portion, means for moving said movable portion concentrically at predetermined times and a predetermined amount, means for regulating the amount of said movement without changing the timing thereof, and means on the movable portion of said cylinder for gripping a web.

3. Variable feed mechanism including in combination a rotatable cylinder having a fixed peripheral bed portion and a bed portion movable concentrically toward and from said fixed portion, an arm pivoted to the fixed portion of said cylinder between its axis and periphery, a link connecting said arm with the movable portion of said cylinder, means for moving said arm, and means for adjusting the point of connection of said link and arm toward .and from the pivotal point of said arm, the point of connection of said link and arm and the pivotal point of said arm being equidistant from the point of connection of said link with the movable portion of said cylinder.

4. Variable feed mechanism including in combination a rotatable cylinder having a fixed peripheral portion and a peripheral portion movable peripherally toward and from said fixed portion, a fixed cam coaxial with said cylinder, an arm pivoted to' the fixed portion of said cylinder between its axis and periphery, a roll carriedby said arm for engagement'with said cam, a link connecting said arm with the movableportion of said cylinder, and means permitting the adjustment of the point of connection of said link and arm toward and from the pivotal point of said arm.

5. In a web feeding device, the combination of a shaft, a feed cylinder comprising a section fixed on the shaft and a movable section, and means connecting the movable section to said shaft whereby said movable section may be driven from the shaft at a speed different from that of the fixed section.

6. In a web feeding device, the combination of a shaft, afeed cylinder comprising a section fixed on the shaft and a movable section, means connecting the movable section to said shaft, and means to cooperate with the connecting means to cause the movable section to lag behind the fixed section.

7. In a web feeding device, the combination of a feed cylinder comprising av fixed section and a movable section, a shaft to which the fixed section is secured, means connecting the movable section to said shaft, means to cooperate with the connecting means to cause the movable section to lag behind the fixed.

section, and adjustable means to vary the extent of lag of the movable section.

8. In combination, a severing mechanism operating at regular intervals of time for severing a web into blanks, feeding mechanism for passing the web through said severing mechanism, said feeding mechanism operating at times at normal rate of speed, and means including a linkage for at other times rendering said feeding means operable at a changed rate of speed.

9. In combination, a severing mechanism operating at regular intervals of time for severing a web into blanks, feeding mechanism for passing the web through said severing mechanism, said feeding mechanism operating at times at normal rate of speed, means for at other times rendering said feeding means operable at a changed rate of speed, and means for at times causing said feeding mechanism to actat slower rate of speed whereby said severing mechanism is caused to produce a shorter length of blank.

10. In combination, a positive feed mechanism for a web of paper, means for driving the feeding mechanism continuously, and means including a lever and a device to operate said lever for changing the rate of operation of said mechanism at particular intervals of .time.

11. In combination, a mechanism for positively advancing a web of paper, means for imparting a continuous rotary component of movement to said mechanism at normal rate of speed, and means including a cam for causing said mechanism to vary periodically from said normal speed so as to vary the total length of web advanced during a given period of operation.

12. In combination, a feed member for a web of paper, means for causing said feed -member to pass througha periodic cycle of o eration, means for causing said member to change its speed during a predetermined portion of its periodic movement, and adjusting means for regulating the efli'ect of said speed changing means during said portion of the periodic movement of said feed member.

13. In combination, passing through a cycle of operations, means operative during a given period of time of said cycle for causing said feed member to lag behind its normal speed,'and means operative during other periods of time of said cycle of operations for causing said feed member to pass ahead of its normal speed, and means for rendering said member operative to feed the web during one of said periods of operation.

14. In combination, a feed member for passing through a cycle of operations, means operative during a given period of time of said cycle for causing said feed member to lag behind its normal speed, and means operative during other periods of time of said a feed member for cycle of operations for causing said feed member to pass ahead of its normal speed, means for rendering said member operative to feed the web during one of said periods of operation, and means for controlling the speed of movement during said periods of operation.

15. In combination, a plurality of Ieeding mechanisms for acting in succession upon a web, means for changing the web from the control of one feeding mechanism to the control of the other feeding mechanism while both of said mechanisms are operating at the same speed, and means for thereafter changing the speed of operation of the latter feeding mechanism.

16. The combination of mechanism to feed a web, a second mechanism capable of feeding said web at a variable rate of speed, means to change the web from the control of the first feeding mechanism to the control of the second feeding mechanism while both 1 feeding mechanisms are running at the same speed, and means to change the speed of the second named feeding-mechanism after the web is under its control. i

17. The combination of mechanism to feed a Web, a second mechanism to feed said web, means to change the web from the control of the first feeding mechanism to the control of the second feeding mechanism, While both feeding mechanisms are running at the same speed, means to change the speed of thesec- 0nd named feeding mechanism after the web is under its control, means to cause the second feeding mechanism to resume the normal s eed, and means for reverting the control of the web to the first-named feeding mechanism.

1.8. In a machine for cutting blanks from a web, in combination, a cutter, means operating the cutter at predetermined uniform intervals to cut blanks from the web, a plurality of feeding mechanisms acting on the web alternately to feed the web past the cutter, means acting in timed relation to the cutter to drive the feeding mechanisms at normal speed, means for transferring control of the web from one of the feeding mechanisms to the other while both are operating at normal speed, means for changing the speed of each feeding mechanism after it has assumed control of the web but before the cutter has acted on the Web to vary the length of web fed in such interval, and thereby to secure the length of blank desired,'and means for again changing the speed of the feeding mechanism after it has been rendered ineffective to feed the web by the action of the cutter, to compensate for the previous departure rom normal speed, and finally to restore the feeding mechanism to normal speed prior to its again assuming control of the web.

19; In combination, a severing mechanism operating at regular intervals of time for severing a web into blanks, feeding mechanism for passing the web through said severing mechanism, said feeding mechanism operating at times at normal rate of speed, mechanism for at other times rendering said feeding means o erable at a changed rate of speed, and means for adjusting said last mentioned mechanism, whereby varying lengths of the webmay. be severed by said severing mechanism.

In witness whereof, I hereby ailix my signature this30 day of March, 1921.

ABRAHAM N OVICK. 

